George Zimmerman: Did he shoot Trayvon Martin in self defense?

Frank Taaffe, a friend of George Zimmerman, shows ABC7's Scott Thuman where the shooting of Trayvon Martin happened. Photo: ABC7

George Zimmerman admits he shot and killed Trayvon Martin. But was it self defense?

ABC7's Scott Thuman went inside the Sanford, Florida neighborhood where the shooting happened.

He talks with Frank Taaffe, a friend of Zimmerman's, and a former neighborhood watch volunteer himself, who says it was self defense.

Taafe shows us what he says eye witnesses told him happened that night in the Twin Lakes neighborhood.

In this now infamous neighborhood, there's almost as much foot traffic as vehicle traffic. There's a cut-through frequented by kids, some following the very same footsteps as Trayvon Martin.

But in an area hit by thieves, up to 11 times in 14 months, and where property value has plummeted, there was also plenty of suspicion.

"He's parked here, the vehicles in this direction and he watches Trayvon come down here, stares at him out his window and according to George he circles around the car here and he heads back off in this direction here," Taaffe says.

"Trayvon's walking in this direction, George is maintaining a visual on him all the time in contact with the dispatcher."

The police dispatcher told Zimmerman to quit following Martin.

But Taaffe says that when Zimmerman went back to his vehicle, he's the one who became a victim.

Based on what he says witnesses told him, Taaffe points to the pavement and says, "Right here, this is it, this is where Trayvon punched George to the ground and started slamming his head right here on this concrete."

Taaffe says he believes more witnesses will come forward and set the record straight.

Friday night at 5, Scott Thuman takes a look at why folks here say the media got it so wrong, why some say the decision to arrest Zimmerman came all the way from Washington, and if it's a local shooting, why is the FBI involved?